THE SONS: Made in Sweden, Part II is not so much a sequel to 2016’s THE FATHER as it is an extension. The first book concerned three brothers --- all under the age of 24 --- who became Sweden’s most notorious criminals, in part because of the actions of their father. As much a fascinating sociological study as a riveting crime novel, it was a lights-on-all-night read and a cautionary tale. This follow-up extends the story, holding out a promise of redemption that, from its beginning, is as substantive as the unwritten promise of a dead man. It is terrible to behold, yet one is compelled to keep looking and reading.

"While the story of Leo’s planning and execution of the four-part heist and Broncks’ pursuit of him is certainly interesting enough on its own, Svensson’s subtle comparison between the two adversaries with regard to their lives and personalities is equally as riveting."

It is noted at the commencement of THE SONS, possibly with tongue in cheek, that the book’s past was inspired by real events while the present is pure fiction. Author Anton Svensson --- the pseudonym for Stefan Thunberg and Anders Roslund --- begins with a recap of the opening events of THE FATHER, this time from the viewpoints of brothers Leo, Vincent and Felix Duvnjac. They have just witnessed their father, Ivan, a convicted criminal, break into their home and severely beat their mother. The reminder of the act, which served as the catalyst for the brothers’ eventual criminal careers, stands in stark contrast to the enigmatic familial tableau that greets Leo as he is released from prison as THE SONS gets rolling.

Leo’s six-year incarceration did anything but rehabilitate him. In fact, he spent a good deal of his time plotting a final and major heist that is to be executed in four stages. His plan has two aims: to facilitate his retirement, if you will --- which, in part, involves disappearing from Sweden forever --- and gaining some measure of revenge against John Broncks, the intense and driven detective superintendent whose unrelenting and obsessive investigation into the activities of the Duvnjacs, father and sons, resulted in their respective incarcerations. One element of Leo’s planning strikes particularly close to home with Broncks, who is all but certain --- and correctly so --- that Leo has used his prison sentence to pick up precisely where he left off at the time of his arrest and conviction and escalate his criminal activity to even greater heights.

Broncks is determined to stop Leo, using whatever means necessary and regardless of whether the innocent or guilty become collateral damage. Leo is even colder in the pursuit of his goal, as he is willing to use his father and brothers --- all of whom are trying to avoid recidivism --- in whatever way he can to succeed in his goal and avoid capture. While the story of Leo’s planning and execution of the four-part heist and Broncks’ pursuit of him is certainly interesting enough on its own, Svensson’s subtle comparison between the two adversaries with regard to their lives and personalities is equally as riveting. The line between cop and criminal here is a thin one indeed.

THE SONS does not include any numbered chapters. There are large named sections that are then subdivided by paragraph breaks to facilitate changes in time, place and points of view. The results make for a quick, suspenseful and propelling read that, like THE FATHER, will appeal to fans of true crime and police procedurals.